Team Geronimo/Banshee Bikes hook up for Factory Race Team

Banshee Bikes has teamed up with Boulder, Colorado’s ultra fast Buell brothers and their Team Geronimo partners to form the 2010 Banshee Factory Race Team. The team will race on the much anticipated Legend MkII frame, which is now available for sale to the general public.

Look for Team Geronimo at the 2010 Sea Otter Classic, Pro Gravity Tour, Mountain States Cup Series, US Open, Crankworx Colorado, Crankworx Whistler, Fluidride Cup Series and select other events. The team is gearing up for entry into the World Cup Series in 2011.

http://www.facebook.com/teamgeronimo
http://twitter.com/teamgeronimo
http://www.geronimoracing.com

Mountain States Cup 2010 schedule is solid

The Mountain States Cup, one of the premiere race series in the country, has announced their 2010 schedule. It looks super solid with plenty of racing in all disciplines. On top of a great series, CO will be hosting the National Champs again this year in Sol Vista. Sweet. Racing in CO and the surrounding mountain states is going to be the best in the nation in 2010!!

April 24-25 Rabbit Valley Rally Fruita CO. – T.T. and XC
May 15-16 Chalk Creek Stampede, Nathrop CO. – XC, STXC, 4X & Slalom
June 5- 6 Chili Challenge, Angel Fire N.M. – XC, 4X, SD, DH
June 26-27 Wild Flower Rush, Creted Butte CO. – XC, SD, 4X, DH
July 10- 11 Blast the Mass Snowmass CO. – XC, SD, (2) DH
August 7-8 Keystone Revival, Keystone CO. – XC, STXC, DH, SD
August 22-23 Full Tilt in Telluride. Telluride CO. XC, H.C., 4X, DH
September 4-6 – Winter Park Pursuit, Winter Park CO. XC,STXC, Slalom, DH, SD

New Transition Bikes Video Leaves You Wondering…

Ahead of the release of their new DH race bike, Transition Bikes leaked a pretty solid teaser video this week showcasing the bike in action. It’s pretty obvious that the bike seems to be working well for the riders, but who exactly are the protagonists of this vid?

Rumours are flying… there is a consensus. The e-speculation experts are convinced the riders are none other than Lars Sternberg, Bryn Atkinson and Jill Kintner. Time will tell if the former GT racers have migrated to the Transition brand, local to their Pacific Northwest region.

Introducing the 2010 SlopeStyle & Tracer 29er

The cat’s outta the bag: this past week at Eurobike in Germany, Intense announced the addition of two new models to the 2010 lineup. Both rigs were designed by Jeff Steber, of course, with the input of riders and racers from around the world.

The 2010 SlopeStyle is reminiscent of the 6.6 SS, but incorporates Intense’s latest technology and recent successes in design features. With lift access bike parks becoming more groomed and many incorporating dedicated jump lines, the new SS gives a rider the sensation of a full on DH bike but with the quick, nimble handling of an agile trail bike. Utilizing 6″-6.5″ of rear wheel travel and designed around 65 degree head angle, the 2010 SS is a bike in a world all its own.

The SS looks like the 951 because it is very much like the 951, only toned down. The ultra stiff rear end of the 951 has made its way onto the new SS — railing turns and sticking lines in the gnar is taken to a whole new level with the crossbar support on upper part of the rear end. Next gen VPP, AC bearings, grease ports, 1.5 headtube, 73mm BB, 135 rear end…. this bike is just about dialed and will be ready to shred very soon.

The Tracer 29er is another of Steber latest masterpieces. A take on the uber successful Tracer VP, the 29 version pushes the envelope of the big wheel design, promising to own the ever growing 29 trail bike segment. Adjustable from 4.75″-5.25″ of rear wheel travel, the Tracer 29 is the longest travel VPP 29 on the market. Complementing the bump in travel over our previous generation Spider 29 is a tapered head tube, a burly monocoque top tube, AC bearings with grease ports and next gen VPP technology. The Tracer 29 holds true to its namesake — it’s 26″ breathren is one of the most well received trail bikes on the market because it is the all around trail machine — the big wheeled version shares the same ride characteristics and the Intense craftsmanship and will be unlike any other 29 ever.

Expect to see both rigs in stores and on trails in early 2010.

Mountain Bike Mecca: Durango, CO

The Intense dirt demo tour headed to one of the United States mountain biking meccas this past week:
Durango, CO. Home to many big MTB names past and present, Durango lends itself to the mountain biking lifestyle with many epic rides accessible from town. Considering the town is home to only about 15,000 people with another 5,000 college students, the fact that there are 7 thriving bike shop with another on the way is a testament to how engrained MTB is in the Durango way of life.

Pedal the Peaks is the pro shop in town and a perfect fit for the Intense brand. Owner Cliff Pinto has been in the industry his whole life, both behind the shop counter and on the race course. Pedal the Peaks targets the locals looking for high end bikes as well as tourists looking for a nice rental MTB. Many of Cliff’s regulars stopped by to demo bikes and all were super stoked on the rides.

Demo Days & Evening Rides

The Demo Tour has been super busy hitting up shops and trailheads around Colorado. We’ve been sending out demos throughout the day and catching group rides in the evening — it’s really effective riding with our customers and the shops selling our bikes. We can instantly answer any questions riders may have and can make sure the rides are set up right as we meander down the trails.

Intense continues to pick up steam in the Rockies. The lifestyle lends itself to outdoor activities, especially cycling, and we’re looking to capitalize on that. Many shops and riders are super engrained in some of the more traditional brands as well as the local CO powerhouse. It’s pretty easy to turn riders and shops onto Intense once they see the new models and especially after they ride them. Last week, we hit up Redstone Cyclery in Lyons, Mountain Pedaler in the Vail Valley, Littleton Cyclery in Denver, Golden Bike Shop in Golden, Ascent Cycling in Colorado Springs and a couple other shops we’d like to get signed up on the Intense program.

We’ve got a couple more CO dates before heading back west:

August 21: Granby Ranch, CO: Demo Day at Sol Vista Bike Park (12 – 5) sponsored by Singletrack Factory
August 22: Granby Ranch, CO: Demo Day at Sol Vista Bike Park (10 – 5) sponsored by Singletrack Factory
August 24: Durango, CO: Demo Day/Group Ride (4 to dark) sponsored by Pedal the Peaks
August 25: Durango, CO: Durango Demo Day (10 to 4) sponsored by Pedal the Peaks
August 26: Grand Junction, CO: Demo Dayat Lunch Loops (12 to 6) sponsored by Bicycle Outfitters

Colorado State Championships — Snowmass

Intense was out in Snowmass last week for the State Championship Race weekend. There was a good buzz on the hill — a lot of big names were in attendance. Lance Armstrong, a part-time Aspen resident, attracted the most attention as he raced the PRO cross-country race in preparation for an attempt at a repeat win in the infamous Leadville 100. Lance powered his way to the win, three minutes faster than Vail superstar Jay Henry.

We sent out a bunch of riders in Snowmass on our demo rigs. The 951 was a popular choice, as the DH course demanded everything from riders. A wide open, off camber & choppy high alpine meadow started the race course and claimed many riders in crashes and flats. As the race run progressed, riders dipped into the Aspen groves that give the area its name. In the trees racers encountered roots & rocks at high speeds. The course culminated in Hell’s Kitchen, a section where a couple consequential high-speed drops are thrown into the mix to keep racers honest. An all-around awesome DH course, Snowmass put riders to the test and only the strongest survived.

Leov edges out Kovarik @ Garbanzo DH; Bryn takes 8th

The 6th annual Kokanee Crankworx is going off. As expected, Intense riders have their rigs pinned and we’re seeing the results roll in. CRC/Intense racer, Chris Kovarik, always shows up to win, especially at the Canadian races. Chris put down a super solid run on the Monster Energy Garbanzo DH course, finishing just seconds off Justin Leov’s winning time. The nearly 14 minute DH race run is a challenge to say the least; most World Cup courses are under 5 minutes.

Bryn Atkinson, riding for Crank Brothers/Intense, also laid down a solid time aboard his 951. When the dust settled, Bryn had finished a respectable 8th. It will be interesting to see these two guys race the World Championships in early September. Both know the Canberra, Australia course well — it promises to be a hell of a race.

Truckin’ through the Pacific Northwest

The National Dirt Demo Tour has been making the rounds — lately we’ve be hitting up Intense shops in the northwestern United States. The riding in the Pacific Northwest is world renowned, the local riders are super skilled and the bikes they ride are put to the test on a daily basis.

Intense had some very successful demos and tech seminars throughout the region including stops in Bend, Hood River, Portland, Bellingham, Seattle, and Coeur d’Alene. If you’re ever in the area, catch a ride or two.

Intense Session at Blackrock Freeride Park

Last week, Santiam Bicycle hosted an Intense demo day at one of the Pacific Northwest’s up and coming freeride spots, Blackrock Freeride Park. About an hour west of Salem in Falls City, Blackrock is the perfect example of State Land Management working in conjuction with mountain bikers to develop a top notch destination bike park.

The trails at Black Rock cater to all ability levels while the terrain and stunts promise to refine a variety of a rider’s skill sets. Freeriders will have an especially good time when they visit Falls City; skinnies, jumps, wall rides and other stunts litter the hillside and promise to test out a riders skills, confidence and gear. The Uzzi VP was the bike of choice among the riders who came out to demo. Set up with a 7″ fork and a 7″ coil shock, the bike lived up to its freeride nature. We adjusted the geometry of the bike through the Uzzi’s G3 dropouts throughout the day to dial in the ride for each rider. All were incredibly stoked after a full day of shuttling Blackrock.